


Like a Ghost I've Never Known

by silversword



Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Route C spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:54:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28171224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silversword/pseuds/silversword
Summary: With a little data manipulation, anything is possible... including kissing the android whose head you live inside.
Relationships: 2B/A2 (NieR: Automata)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	Like a Ghost I've Never Known

**Author's Note:**

> hi i dont actually know anything about machines or how any of the technical stuff would work so this is all just made up. enjoy?

A2 was settled on the rooftop of a building in the city ruins when she felt 2B’s data stretching out against her own. Not a completely uncommon occurrence. Somehow, this odd feeling had become almost mundane. In the relative safety of her hideout, A2 felt comfortable enough to close her eyes and allow 2B to do as she liked. 

It wasn’t dissimilar to maintenance checks that used to be performed on her. Then again, it had been a long, long time since she’d had anyone looking through her data. The gentle prodding and pushing, the testing of each of her systems, it felt strangely intimate, especially since she and 2B were sharing a space.

“You’re long overdue for maintenance. We should go to the resistance camp when we get a chance.”

The voice echoed in her head. It was odd at first. She couldn't quite "hear" 2B, in the traditional sense, but A2 could sense her speaking. She was quite literally a voice inside A2's head.

“ _We_ aren’t doing anything.” A2 felt a shudder run through her as 2B continued her exploration. “I’ve never had maintenance feel like this.”

2B huffed, the sound barely noticeable. A2 could feel it, though, like a breath of warmth somewhere deep inside her. 

“This isn’t maintenance.”

A wave of heat passed over her. Without even checking, she could tell her internal temperature was rising. Nothing dangerous, thankfully. 2B wouldn’t purposefully harm her.

“Do you want me to stop?”

“Pod, scan the area for enemies.”

2B paused.

“No machines detected.”

A2 gave a noncommittal shrug, then remembered 2B wasn’t technically there and couldn’t see her. “Do whatever you want.”

Again, warmth and heat blossomed everywhere 2B’s consciousness shifted and moved through. A2 sank down against the wall with a sigh. Her body felt heavy as she lay there. Were it not for something grazing the back of her neck, she could have stayed there all day. She jolted forward, eyes snapping open. Nothing in sight.

“Bad?”

A2 put a hand against the back of her neck. It wasn’t the same. 2B’s “touch” wasn’t quite physical. It was more mental than anything, like recalling a memory that had never truly happened.

“No.”

And she meant it.

“Close your eyes again.”

A2 did as she was told, leaning back against the wall. “You can tell what I’m doing?”

“It’s… weird. I can see and feel everything you do, but I have no control.”

Her mouth twisted into a frown. “It’s my body.”

A hand brushed against her ear, warmth followed it. “I know.” 2B’s voice was filled with amusement. “I’m just along for the ride.”

“How are you doing this?”

A2 felt the phantom touch travel down from her ear to cup her cheek. There, it stayed for a moment before moving down her neck and resting on her shoulder.

“There’s sensors in your body that are triggered by physical touch. If I trigger them myself, your body registers them all the same. Visual and physical stimuli are registered separately but work together.”

_Huh?_

2B squeezed her shoulder. “As long as your eyes are closed, your system can’t realize there’s no one really there.”

So now she knew 2B knew what she was thinking. It should have been an invasion of privacy. For years, she hadn’t let anyone get close to her—not after she lost her squadron. Now, though? She didn’t feel so alone anymore.

“You don’t mind this?”

2B’s “touch” was gentle. The slow, circling motion on her back, the warmth and heat radiating from deep inside her. These soothing touches were much more caring than the violence and bloodshed she’d become accustomed to. Not that she’d tell 2B that.

A2 let out a long sigh, tilting her head back against the wall. “You can’t hurt me without harming yourself in the process.”

“Yes, I suppose that’s true—though I think ‘hurt’ for me is a bit different.”

“What do you mean?”

A2 could feel a phantom pressure on her legs, almost as if something was there. She could imagine 2B perched on top of her, staring from behind that visor all YoRHa units wore. Maybe she’d take it off out of battle. Would their eyes look the same? And would 2B look at her with the same fondness she had for 9S? 

“I can’t feel your physical pain. I’m aware when it happens, but it doesn’t hurt.”

“And mental pain?”

She was almost afraid to ask. A2 knew her head was a bit of a nightmare to be in, even for herself. To her, this was normal. She could only imagine how it must feel for someone not used to it.

“We do share a mind,” 2B said, voice more tired than it should be for someone without a body.

“So you know how this feels?”

The warm feeling on her shoulder moved back up to her cheek. A2 put a hand against it, but only felt her own skin. If she concentrated, she could imagine 2B physically there with her. A “hand” cupped her other cheek.

“I’m going to try something.”

“What? What are you going to do?”

2B made a small circle on her cheek. “Shh… Just relax and stay still.”

A2 felt a phantom touch against her lips. She followed what she had been told and stayed as still as possible. When she opened her eyes, though, the spell was broken. A2 found herself even more alone than she thought possible.


End file.
